Buy yourself a good quality portable pH meter, IMO it's the only meter you'll need in AP. Amm, N02 and N03 can be easily checked with manual test kits, and once your system is established you'll probably only be doing this this every few weeks, or months, so the kits will last you a while.
A pH meter makes things so easy. With a clean glass I take a 20mm deep sample of the water from my AP systems, sit my pH meter in and walk away and do other checks etc for a couple of minutes, then come back to the meter and have a look at the reading. Leaving the meter for a minute or two like this is important to get an accurate reading.
I've had my Eutech (now Oakton Instruments) waterproof pH meter since 1997 or 1998 and it's still going strong. About two years ago I had to replace the probe, but that's not a bad run I reckon. I've always kept the probe clean, and also moist when not in use for extended periods. I also calibrate it regularly, about every 2-3 months. The Oaktons retail for about $120-$130 these days, the cheap Chinese versions on eBay etc aren't worth a pinch of goat sh!t, they'll set you back about $30 - $40... and there's a good chance you'll be putting it in the bin within a year.
I know people will probably jump all over that last statement with "I've had mine 'X' years and it's still going fine!"... and they are probably telling the truth, but I've bought in two different cheapo brands of pH meters to sell through my shop because some customers don't want to pay for the Oakton meters. With one brand I had a 1-in-5 return rate, the other brand I had a 1-in-2 return rate and only got about halfway through the carton before I threw it in the bin with about ten brand new meters still in it!... I no longer sell el-cheapo meters.
Long story short... a handheld pH meter is probably the only meter you'll need for AP... unless you plan on running a commercial sized system.
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